College Women's Soccer: Mile-high challenge ahead for Wolves

August 13, 2007

Team kicks off season next week with three games in Colorado American News Photo by Dawn Dietrich-Sahli Wolves at work: Northern State soccer players Larissa Strychun, left, and Kelly Dunsmore work on their game during a recent practice. The Wolves open their season next week with a road trip to Colorado, where, over five days, they will play three teams in the highly-regarded Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. “This will be one of the toughest challenges our program has ever faced,” said coach Steve Kehm. By John Papendick American News Sports Editor In 11 days, the Northern State soccer team wdill be battling three talented teams in five days, their own youth and the need for oxygen. Not to mention they will be doing it about 700 miles from Aberdeen. The Wolves open their season with a road trip to Colorado, where they will play Colorado State-Pueblo (Aug. 24), Mesa State (Aug. 26) and Colorado Christian (Aug. 28). All three play in the highly-regarded Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference whose member Metro State has won two of the last three women's soccer national championships, including last year. Mesa finished second to the Roadrunners in the league last season. And at the Denver area's 5,280 feet of elevation, an 8-minute per mile jogger's pace will slow to a 9:15 with the same level of effort. “This will be one of the toughest challenges our program has ever faced,” said Steve Kehm, who has an impressive 108-61-12 record in nine seasons of coaching the Wolves. “It is a tall order, but it is very important for me and our players to play the very best competition that we can to prepare us for the end of the season. We just want to be winning in October.” It will also be a fun trip. NSU - who has graduated 13 players, including five all-conference performers, in the last two seasons - has three players from Colorado as well as former players from there. So when the Wolves arrive in Colorado, they will be surrounded by a family atmosphere. Kehm expects great defense out of his players again this season and that they will again contend for a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference title. The Wolves have ranked in the top 25 in the nation the last three years in fewest goals allowed. In the last two years, NSU has gone 25-13-3. Of those 13 losses, six were by 1-0 scores. “We want to work hard to defend and to keep the ball out of the net,” said Kehm, whose team allowed just below one goal per game in 2006. “And hopefully, we will take advantage of our opportunities to score. We have done a great job of preventing other teams from scoring, but we need to capitalize a little more when we have the chance to score.” Kehm has a lot of confidence in his veterans. “We are expecting the same good things out of all of our returners.” He also was happy with all his players in their conditioning when they arrived for practice last week. “We expect them to come into camp fit so we can start concentrating on skills.” Northern State senior Kira Wannebo (Weston, Fla.) was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference preseason defensive player of the year by the league coaches. Kehm said she is deserving of such an honor. “Last year, I felt like she was the top defensive player in our league,” he said of his three-year starter who was all-conference and Adidas All-Region last season. “She is such a testament to hard work as well as an example of the more you put into your sport, the more you get out of it.” Kehm said all eight of his freshman will be able to help the team. The class includes Aberdeen Central's KaSara Sutton, Aberdeen Roncalli's Kendra Titze and Groton's Sam Bunke. “We know we recruited eight great people who also are good soccer players,” said Kehm. “It is my job to evaluate a recruit's talent, and it is our returning players' job to make sure that player will fit into our team. It is important for us to maintain that team chemistry and a family atmosphere.” Kehm's team will face 18 Division II teams in its 20-match schedule. Kehm said NSIC teams keep improving every year “and our non-conference schedule is as tough as it has ever been.” One of the most interesting matches on the NSU schedule is its Midnight Madness event against Dakota Wesleyan at 11:30 p.m. Sept. 2 at Swisher Field in Aberdeen. “That will be freshman orientation and (NSU's) Travis Sieber is going to bus about 350 freshman to the game and we are hoping to get the football, volleyball and other Northern teams to the game as well as a lot of members from the community. It is Labor Day the next day, so there is no school or work for most people.” The Wolves want to make it a community event and break their home attendance record of 387. NSU led the league in attendance last season. “We want to make this something that these players will remember 10 years from now,” said Kehm. “I have to give a lot of credit to the DWU coach for agreeing to do something like this on the road.” The Wolves will have a public scrimmage against Augustana at 3 p.m. Saturday at Jerde Field in Aberdeen. There has been a positive change in Division II soccer this year. Instead of four teams, six teams will now qualify for the region tournaments that provide a starting point for the national tournament. Some sports qualify eight. The change means the winner of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament will automatically qualify for the North Central Region national tourney. So will the winners of the North Central Conference and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association tournaments. Then there will be three at-large berths from those three conferences as well into the regional tourney. August - 24, at Colorado State University, 5 p.m.; 26, at Mesa (Colo.) State College, 4 p.m.; 28, at Colorado Christian, 3 p.m.; September 1 - Jamestown College, 5 p.m.; 2, Dakota Wesleyan, 11:30 p.m.; 7, Minnesota State, Mankato, 1 p.m.; 9, University of South Dakota, 1 p.m.; 12, Minnesota State, Moorhead, 3 p.m.; 16, at University of Mary, 1 p.m.; 22, at Minnesota-Crookston, 1 p.m.; 23, at Bemidji State, 1 p.m.; 29, at Upper Iowa, 1 p.m.; 30, at Winona State, 1 p.m.; October - 6, Wayne State, 11:30 a.m.; 7, Southwest Minnesota State, 1 p.m.; 13, at Minnesota State, Moorhead, 1 p.m.; 14, at Concordia-St. Paul, 1 p.m.; 20, Minnesota-Crookston, 1 p.m.; 21, Bemidji State, 1 p.m.; 27, University of Mary, noon.